Cariboo-Chilcotin MLA, Donna Barnett, attended the evening show at the 15th Annual 100 Mile House Cowboy Concert on Feb. 14. She presented a proclamation to concert organizer, and president of the BC Cowboy Heritage Society, Mark McMillan. The proclamation stated that the week of Mar. 8 to 15, 2015 shall be known as Cowboy Heritage Week in the province of B.C.
The City of Kamloops started proclaiming Cowboy Heritage Week quite a few years back for the week leading up to and including the Kamloops Cowboy Festival. The Province of B.C. followed suit two years ago, and it appears that this will now be done on an annual basis.
Donna’s statement was, “Recognizing our history and heritage is so important to all. Understanding how the ranching community has continued to provide a food source while continuing to care take the land. The history of the cowboy and his way of life needs to be told. This is why Cowboy Heritage Week is so important.”
McMillan was very pleased, “This couldn’t be any closer to our mandate which is to promote and preserve cowboy heritage in the province of B.C.”
The document is signed by Shirley Bond, Minister of Justice and Attorney General, and the Honourable Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, Judith Guichon.
The honourable Judith Guichon will also be present at the 19th Annual Kamloops Cowboy Festival on Mar. 13 to officially open the Festival’s first evening performance. She will also present the plaques to, and pose for photos with, the 2015 BC Cowboy Hall of Fame inductees during the evening show that day. The three inductees will be the Louis Family (Vernon) as a Family, the Haughton Ranch (Knutsford) as a Century Ranch, and Lloyd Creek Ranch (Pinantan) as a Century Ranch.
Information on the BC Cowboy Hall of Fame, the Kamloops Cowboy Festival, and/or the BC Cowboy Heritage Society can be found at www.bcchs.com or by phoning toll free to: 1-888-763-2221.
The Kamloops Cowboy Festival is the largest cowboy festival in Canada, and one of the largest in North America. It is a celebration of western heritage in Kamloops and showcases the best in cowboy poetry and western music, as well as cowboy artists and artisans.
The event runs from Mar. 12 – 15.